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WEDNESDAY
January 24
Jesus and Judgment
Solomon again continues exploring the question of time. Now,
though, he switches the topic to something else entirely. In
Ecclesiastes 3:16, 17, he opens up a theme that will be repeated in the
book of Ecclesiastes: human injustice and God’s judgment.
Read
verse 16. What is he saying? How could there be wickedness in
the “place of justice” (NIV)? And in the place of righteousness,
iniquity? What could he be talking about? Where have you seen,
even today, wickedness where there should be justice and iniquity
where there should be righteousness? Also, how do these things
make you feel? How did they make Solomon feel? (See also Prov.
17:23, 21:27, John 2:14.)
Who, of course, isn’t upset at injustice and iniquity, especially in
places in which there should be justice and righteousness? Thus,
Solomon, like us, wanted to see judgment done, and despite his sour
attitude about a lot of things, he still believed in the ultimate justice
that God would mete out in His own time
(Eccles. 3:17), for, as he
said, there is a time “for every purpose and for every work,” especially
the work of God’s judgment.
Read
John 12:31, where Jesus says “Now is the judgment of this
world.” In what sense could we say that the Cross was a judgment
of both the righteous and the wicked?
At the Cross, a place of judgment, we see incredible injustice: the
sinless Son of God dying for the sins of an ungrateful and wicked
world
(Rom. 5:6, 1 John 2:2). At the same time, it is a place of right-
eousness because Jesus, who has “the righteousness of God” (2 Pet.
1:1) Himself, is there. And yet, in this place of righteousness, we see
iniquity—the iniquity of the whole world being punished in the per-
son of Jesus, who became sin “for us”
(2 Cor. 5:21). We can say that
judgment of the righteous occurred at the Cross, because there,
through the death of Jesus, vindication in judgment is assured (Rom.
8:1); at the same time, the condemnation of the lost is guaranteed
,
because, in light of the Cross, they will have no excuse
(John 3:19).
If someone w
er
e to ask you to explain, in a short paragraph,
what the death of Christ offers you, what would you write?
Bring that paragraph to class to share with others.